By Peter Sweeney
Troy Iwanyk got a call from an interstate friend in January of last year.
Would he be interested in coming over from Western Australia to a property in outer south-eastern Melbourne to look after greyhounds for a month, was the question posed to Troy. No worries, was the reply.
One month turned into five or six. Troy went home to Mandurah, a bustling coastal city 70km south of Perth, pondering.
Already making his living from the greyhound industry, he was frustrated at the paucity, and the high prices, of properties suitable for buying around Perth to set up a training complex.
While based at the Devon Meadows home of leading trainer Darren McDonald last year – where he was “helping out” – the Bachelor of Business qualified (majoring in marketing) Troy started looking around.
“What do I have to lose?” he asked himself.
He knew if he was to make it as a greyhound trainer, he had to move to Victoria. One was affordability, two was “the more” the fraternity here had to offer. Like the number of places to race at, and the frequency of meetings. Then there was the higher stake money.
Another call from McDonald advised Troy of a nearby five-hectare property which could be leased. Troy, who saw it as a now or never situation, hooked the dog trailer on his car, packed his car with odds and ends and hit the bitumen.
Five days later – after a speeding fine at the historic gold mining town of Coolgardie and a random breath test (which was positive as it was a negative result) on, of all places, the Nullarbor – he arrived at Devon Meadows.
That was on December 1 and now the young, affable man who lives alone in a donga, could be just eight days away from the highlight of his life … courtesy of either Lucy or Skinny.
Lucy, better known as Pillow Torque, and Skinny, who goes by the name of Bramley, are highly rated to figure in the finish of the 2011 Sandown Cup.
The heats are tomorrow night, the final a week later – and with $100,000 to the winner, greyhound training is often not a life of going to the dogs.
But it hasn’t all been easy.
He has nobody to help him regularly – and doesn’t know where he would be if it wasn’t for his mum, Marie.
“Mum’s magic, she comes over for a few weeks at a time and helps, especially when I’ve been away in Sydney and Brisbane with the dogs,” he said.
“I know they’re in great hands with Mum. And I’m in better hands with her.”
And a look at the weather map tells one there is a difference between the temperatures at this time of year between western and eastern Australia.
Devon Meadows is like a lake on wheels; water on the ground at Mandurah is as scarce as atheists at church.
“At least I don’t need air-conditioning in the kennels here,” Troy said while treading water in one of his two galloping tracks.
“The drainage system needs some work and the dirt track needs resurfacing. We get rain in the west, but it doesn’t stay around like it does here.”
However, “staying around here” – as in Victoria – is something Troy is planning on doing.
“I enjoy the cold weather, I actually prefer it to the heat,” he said. “And the racing is great.”
All but one of Troy’s kennels are occupied, by the likes of Lucy and Skinny, Anna, Sky, Wally, Rihanna, Forrest, Steel, Jack, Polar, Tommy (the guard dog who rips blankets to pieces) and Mary.
“We’re nearly full, but there’s always room for another good one,” Troy said.
A private person, he doesn’t believe greyhound racing is given “the chances” it deserves.
“Few people, the media, the public, give it the recognition it warrants,” Troy said.
“Everything in life is about image and perception – but so many people have a poor image and perception of greyhound racing.”
When he sets his mind to a goal, Troy Iwanyk goes for it.
He studied for his Bachelor of Business degree, while training and working, at the Joondalup campus of Edith Cowan University in Perth’s northern suburbs – 120km from his home.
“I knew what I wanted – and if I had to drive two hours one way, then that’s what had to be done,” Troy said.
Right now, he knows what he wants, so expect him to become one of the best greyhound trainers in Victoria.
And, along the way, there’s a better than even money chance he will lift the image and perception of the sport affectionately called “the dishlickers.”
